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NORWALK (CBS) — An Orange County judge has sentenced a Bellflower woman, who let her dog nearly starve to death.

Kimberly Nizato was a full-time kennel assistant at an Irvine Veterinary Hospital when she gave up her severely emaciated dog to a friend last spring.

Her 3-year-old German Shepherd weighed 37 pounds and veterinarians said he had eaten dirt and rocks to survive.

Nizato originally faced felony animal cruelty charges, but a judge reduced that charge to a misdemeanor. She pleaded no contest and was sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail and was ordered to pay more than $2,000 restitution for the cost of treating the dog, who was renamed “Courage.”